Nepal government seeks aid in cash, UN too in quandary

Nepal has asked donors and the international community to give assistance in cash for the reconstruction of infrastructure severely damaged in the Himalayan nation by a devastating earthquake last month and series of aftershocks thereafter.

Organising the first donor meeting in Kathmandu in the aftermath of the April 25 quake which claimed more than 8,000 lives and destroyed property across the country, Nepal's Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat on Friday appealed for cash instead of kind.

Nepal has decided to set up $2-billion fund for massive reconstruction and rehabilitation following the damage caused by the 7.9-magnitude temblor last month. A second major tremor of 7.3 magnitude jolted Kathmandu and neighbouring areas on May 12 bringing down like a pack of cards structures that had been damaged in the April 25 quake.

"If you put your assistance in cash it can be audited and it will be easy to maintain transparency," Mahat told donors.

Representative of over 35 international donor agencies and embassies attended the meeting in which Mahat also urged the international community to put money in the government fund. The Nepal government is urging the international community to follow the one-window government channel.

Similarly, the Kathmandu-based UN office said on Friday that it was receiving less international assistance for Nepal than anticipated.

The window of opportunity to provide vital relief to people in Nepal affected by the recent earthquakes is closing quickly with urgent funding requirements remain unmet.

To date, barely $59.5 million, or 14 percent, was received against the $423 million humanitarian appeal, launched by the UN and partners on April 29, said the UN Office in Kathmandu.

The UN is silent over who -- the Nepal government or the UN itself -- is responsible for this.

"If we don't act quickly, the implications will be severe," said Jamie McGoldrick, humanitarian coordinator in Nepal. "We can only expect misery, a crippling loss of dignity and the real potential for more deaths especially in the rural and remote areas".

However, the level of funding received after the humanitarian appeal would indicate that initial outpouring of solidarity is diminishing, at a time when beefing up humanitarian interventions is essential. Pipelines must be in place before the monsoon rains isolate people in remote, vulnerable communities.

"Our ability to respond to urgent needs of the Nepalese people depends at this stage solely on the amount of financial support that will be provided", added McGoldrick. "We face other challenges, in particular the topography, but we are tackling them in innovative ways."

(Anil Giri can be contacted at girianil@gmail.com)